CH 4.2

“It’s me, Marie. Nice to see you. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been well.”

However, something felt off. His reaction was a bit awkward, and the Royal Guard Knights around them were looking at her with surprised expressions, especially Almond, whose jaw dropped in astonishment.

Marie tilted her head in curiosity, wondering what could be the reason for their unusual behavior.

‘What’s up with them?’

Then Almond looked at Ran and said, “…Does Hon. Hilderren not know?”

“No, she doesn’t. I haven’t told her.”

Marie wore a puzzled expression as she listened to their conversation. What were they talking about?

Almond sighed and said, “Let’s tell her.”

“…What?”

“That you’re the Crown Prince.”

“…”

Marie was rendered speechless. What did he just say?

It was so astounding that her mind couldn’t process them.

Marie alternated her gaze between Almond and Ran’s beautiful face, wondering if it was said in jest. However, there was no trace of humor on Almond’s face.

Then, Ran—or rather—Prince Rael, said, “It was never my intention to deceive you.”

As soon as Marie had heard that, her face turned pale.

Ran really was the Crown Prince.

‘Did he just say Sir Ran is the Crown Prince?’

Marie panicked, her mind racing.

Why hadn’t she noticed it before? How could she have been so blind?

‘Come to think of it…’

Suddenly, Marie’s memory flashed back to something Lesia had mentioned in the past.

’Truly, he looks like a work of art. If I were to choose the most beautiful person in the empire, it would undoubtedly be His Highness, rather than Lady Ariel and Lady Rachel.’

Apart from that, there were many similarities between Ran and the Crown Prince; for an instance, they both had cold eyes and voice.

In retrospect, there were enough reasons to suspect him, so why didn’t she?

‘He could have at least told me.’

Marie sighed, her mind drifting back to the memories of the time they spent together during the street festival. In those moments, she had been carried away by the festive atmosphere, treating him so casually. Looking back now, Marie couldn’t help but feel that her behavior had been quite improper given their respective positions.

‘Was he offended?’

As the Crown Prince rarely showed his true feelings, she couldn’t tell.

Marie cautiously stole glances at the Crown Prince sitting across from her. Without his mask, his exquisitely beautiful face was fully bared.

‘…He’s truly breathtaking,’ Marie thought unconsciously. She had thought of that already before; but his beautiful appearance seemed as though it had been personally crafted by a divine hand.

She couldn’t help but agree with what Lesia had said. While Ariel and Rachel were undeniably the most beautiful women in the empire, Ran’s beauty still surpassed them all.

Of course, Marie’s dear friend, Kierhan, was also incredibly attractive in his own right. However it was difficult to compare him with the Crown Prince, considering that each had their respective appeal.

If Kierhan emanated an allure of chiseled sculpture, then Rael exuded a pretty and delicate beauty.

At that moment, Rael, who had been reviewing some documents, raised his eyes and looked at her.

“Do you feel any discomfort?”

“Pardon?”

“Is riding the carriage not burdensome?”

Marie awkwardly shook her head. “No, I’m alright.”

“I apologize for inconveniencing you. Originally, I intended to travel alone, but Count Gilbert and Countess Ashlyn insisted that it was absolutely ill-advised for me to travel alone.” Then the Crown Prince said, “If there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable, please tell me right away.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Marie made a strange expression at those words. Despite his caring words, his demeanor remained as cold as ever. Even without the mask, he’s still the same Crown Prince.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “…I apologize, Your Highness.”

“What for?”

“During the street festival, I unknowingly committed a grave offense by not recognizing you. Please forgive me for any impertinence I may have caused.”

Upon hearing her words, the Crown Prince frowned, his beautiful face furrowing.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“Pardon?”

Marie said in a puzzled tone, “Well… For disrespecting you, Your Highness…”

Rael furrowed his brows.

In response, she tilted her head, wondering why he reacted that way.

“…You didn’t.”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t offended. So, please stop apologizing like that.”

Marie nodded tentatively, his vehement tone confusing her.

After that, silence filled the carriage.

Clip. Clop.

Only the sound of the carriage wheels bumping against the road could be heard.

With Viscount Almond and the guard knights following on horseback, the only occupants inside the carriage were Marie and the Crown Prince.

‘…It feels awkward to be here like this,’ Marie thought to herself.

The carriage they were currently riding in belonged to the Crown Prince, but surprisingly, it was smaller and less flashier than what one would expect from a royal carriage, reflecting the Crown Prince’s modest nature.

Due to its size, Marie had to sit in close proximity to the Crown Prince, and if either of them made a slight movement, their knees would brush against each other.

‘Let’s be careful as much as possible.’

With that thought in mind, Marie peeked at the Crown Prince again. Since it was only the two of them inside the carriage, her eyes couldn’t help but wander towards him.

‘Those documents again. It’s alright to take a little break inside the carriage, you know,’ Marie thought as she watched Rael review a mountain of paperwork brought from his office.

The carriage seemed to be designed for conducting official duties while on the move, as there was a foldable desk placed near where he was sitting.

Without taking his eyes off the documents, Rael said, “If you’re tired, you can rest your eyes for a while.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Don’t mind me. You don’t have any tasks to do right now anyway,” Rael said, causing Marie to wear an awkward expression.

‘Anyway, why does His Highness wear an iron mask?’ Marie recalled the question that had been on her mind for a while. ‘He’s not even hideous.’

Due to the iron mask he always wore, various rumors circulated about him, ranging from him having a ghastly appearance, to being a bloodthirsty tyrant, and even drinker of virgins’ blood. No matter how much she thought about it, there seemed to be no reason for him to wear an iron mask.

She considered voicing her question, but she shook her head, feeling it might be inappropriate to casually ask him about that.

However, right at that moment…!

Thud.

The carriage suddenly hit a bumpy road, causing it to rattle heavily.

“….!”

Suddenly, the rattling carriage caused Marie to lose her balance and fall forward.

“Ah!”

She braced herself for a strong impact and closed her eyes tightly. However, to her surprise, instead of feeling pain, she landed on something soft yet firm…

“Huh?”

Marie opened her eyes, startled to find a fair face right in front of her.

It was none other than Rael!

“…Are you okay?” Rael asked in a concerned tone.

Marie blinked her eyes, unable to process what was happening.

In that moment, she suddenly realized she was nestled in his arms, caught off guard by the feeling of his firm body against hers.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“It’s alright. Are you hurt?”

With a pale face, Marie tried to pull away from him.

It seemed like he was trying to prevent her from getting hurt when the carriage hit a bumpy road, but the problem was that she fell so badly that she had completely fallen into his arms.

‘How could I be so improper towards the Crown Prince?’ She thought, her face blanching. Throwing herself into the arms of the Crown Prince was such a grave offense, and no amount of apologies could rectify it.

Just as she hurriedly tried to extricate herself from his arms…

Thud!

The carriage shook again, causing her to lose her balance once more.

“Eek!”

Marie found herself falling into the Crown Prince’s arms yet again, this time even closer than before.

“…..”

At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Nestled deep into his arms, Marie’s mind went blank.

Thump. Thump.

Was it the sound of her heart pounding, or was it the sound of his chest against her ear? The only thing she could hear was the rhythmic beating of hearts.

“….Are you alright?”

Only then did Marie snapped back to her senses. With a flushed face, she quickly jumped away from his arms.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“No need. As long as you’re not hurt.”

Rael’s face was also flushed like hers, but Marie was too flustered to notice.

With a face as red as a beet, Marie lowered her head. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

‘To think I’m in the Crown Prince’s arms,’ she thought, her heart still pounding.

She couldn’t tell if her heart was racing because she committed an improper act towards the Crown Prince or if it was because of something else entirely.

“Be careful, it’s dangerous.”

“…..Yes.”

Then the Crown Prince took out his documents again and began to read, which helped Marie’s heart to settle down little by little.

‘Pull yourself together, Marie.’

However, what Marie didn’t know was that the Crown Prince wasn’t as unaffected as he seemed. In reality, he was hiding his flushed face behind the documents, thinking, ‘This is driving me crazy.’

The sensation of her body touching him earlier kept replaying in his mind. In fact, he had been conscious of Marie for quite some time now. How could he not be? They were alone together in such a confined space.

Staring at the documents, he tried to shake it off, but after that unexpected accident(?)*, he couldn’t regain his focus.

*idk why there’s a (?) the author put it there

‘This is why I wanted to come alone.’

Rael sighed at the thought of being alone with her.

With complicated mix of emotions swirling within him, the carriage continued its journey towards the southwest region.

“…We’ve finally reached the southwest region,” Rael said, sighing.

Marie, hearing him sigh, asked, “Is there anything bothering you, Your Highness?”

Rael shook his head. “…It’s nothing.”

‘Everything would have been fine, if it weren’t for you,’ He thought to himself.

If only she knew the internal struggle he had been facing over the past few hours as they rode together in the carriage. Her presence had stirred up emotions he thought he had under control, leaving him in a state of turmoil.

She had no idea how much he struggled to concentrate on the documents spread out before him, his mind incessantly wandering towards her, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it; or the fact that every time their bodies accidentally brushed against each other, his heart would uncontrollably skip a beat; or the concerns that weighed heavily on his mind, constantly worrying about her falling ill or feeling any discomfort from the carriage ride.

‘Fortunately we’ve arrived in the southwestern region now. Although I am worried about the return journey…’

While he was internally agonizing like that, Viscount Almond approached him and said, “Your Highness, it seems that we have to camp tonight due to the late hour.”

“Understood. Make the necessary preparations.”

“I’ll arrange a spot at the usual camping site.”

The route to the southwestern region’s capital offered no inns suitable for spending the night. Well, there used to be, but they were burnt down during the civil war. As a result, they had no choice but to camp.

“If we hurry, we can reach the capital of the southwestern region, Vale Castle, within tomorrow at the earliest.”

“I don’t mind camping,” Rael said, but his words faltered as soon as he realized that it wasn’t just him and the knights anymore.

There’s also Marie.

‘Damn.’

“….Is there no place nearby where we can settle for the night?” The Crown Prince asked, his face stiffening.

t/n: i couldn’t visualize a foldable desk inside a carriage… a small one, no less (i don’t think they exist in real life too). but whatever the author says i guess